Helmets have long been worn in the sport of football to protect a player's head from injury resulting from impact with other players, ground impact, or impact with objects on or off the field. Recent prior art helmets typically include an outer shell made from durable plastic materials, a liner made from a shock absorbing material, a face guard and a chin strap which also functions in some designs as a chin protector. Helmet liners have taken several forms over the years, including encased foam padding, fluid filled jackets or pockets, air inflated bags lining the inner surface of the helmet and other design approaches.
Some recent patents directed to football helmets, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,240,376, 6,934,971 and 7,036,151, all to Ide et al., have focused more on jaw protection, ear protection and improved face guard features without any notable changes in the shock absorbing liner designs. In general though, the overall configuration, design and shape of a football helmet has remained relatively unchanged over an extended period of time.
It is well recognized that no helmet can completely prevent injuries to persons playing the sport of football. The very nature of football is quite physical with much emphasis placed on strength and speed of the players. As players have increased their strength and speed, corresponding improvements in safety equipment, specifically helmets, has not taken place. Shock attenuation and impact force absorption are of foremost importance in the design of a football helmet.
Serious concerns have been raised in recent years regarding concussion injuries suffered by athletes while playing football and the long term affect such brain injuries have on the mental and physical health of those suffering such injuries. Some commentators suggest there may be significant consequences for continuing to play football before recovery from a concussion injury has taken place. Later life cognitive difficulties suffered by former football players are now being associated with concussion injuries received while playing football. Recently, researchers found the players were three times more likely to die from Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or Lou Gehrig's disease than the general population.
Given the recent media coverage of high profile football players who received concussion injuries while playing football and have later in life suffered from maladies and diseases of the brain resulting in abnormal life experiences and behavior, it is abundantly clear that more attention and effort should be directed to protecting players from such injuries.
In view of elevated attention concussion injuries are receiving in the media in relation to football, and in particular the long term negative impact on lives, any new developments in football helmet designs that improve the impact absorption or impact attenuation characteristics of a football helmet and lessen the forces impacting the head of a player are urgently needed.